WASHINGTON  The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.

The previously unknown deposits  including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium  are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.

An internal Pentagon memo, for example, states that Afghanistan could become the Saudi Arabia of lithium, a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and BlackBerrys.

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While it could take many years to develop a mining industry, the potential is so great that officials and executives in the industry believe it could attract heavy investment even before mines are profitable, providing the possibility of jobs that could distract from generations of war.

There is stunning potential here, Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the United States Central Command, said in an interview on Saturday. There are a lot of ifs, of course, but I think potentially it is hugely significant.

The value of the newly discovered mineral deposits dwarfs the size of Afghanistans existing war-bedraggled economy, which is based largely on opium production and narcotics trafficking as well as aid from the United States and other industrialized countries. Afghanistans gross domestic product is only about $12 billion.

He will invest hundreds of millions of American dollars into building the infrastructure necessary to extract said minerals, then he will summarily turn it over to the Afghans without so much as a plan for us to be repaid what is owed us.

He will invest hundreds of millions of American dollars into building the infrastructure necessary to extract said minerals, then he will summarily turn it over to the Afghans without so much as a plan for us to be repaid what is owed us.

At the same time, American officials fear resource-hungry China will try to dominate the development of Afghanistans mineral wealth, which could upset the United States, given its heavy investment in the region. After winning the bid for its Aynak copper mine in Logar Province, China clearly wants more, American officials said.

Another complication is that because Afghanistan has never had much heavy industry before, it has little or no history of environmental protection either. The big question is, can this be developed in a responsible way, in a way that is environmentally and socially responsible? Mr. Brinkley said. No one knows how this will work.

With virtually no mining industry or infrastructure in place today, it will take decades for Afghanistan to exploit its mineral wealth fully. This is a country that has no mining culture, said Jack Medlin, a geologist in the United States Geological Surveys international affairs program. Theyve had some small artisanal mines, but now there could be some very, very large mines that will require more than just a gold pan.

The mineral deposits are scattered throughout the country, including in the southern and eastern regions along the border with Pakistan that have had some of the most intense combat in the American-led war against the Taliban insurgency.

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I'm no expert, but China and the US, among other countries, fighting for this land and their resources could lead to WW3.

What do you all think? It's going to turn into a battle of who really does/will control this land and all it offers.

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